


Just Before Losing Everything

by Anthemyst



Series: Generations Past and Future [2]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Angst, Butterfly Mrs. Agreste, F/M, Gabriel is not Hawk Moth, Just like all the angst that's in my little heart, Peacock Gabriel Agreste, Rating for Language, it's all going into this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-27
Updated: 2016-08-24
Packaged: 2018-07-27 03:23:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,144
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7601503
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anthemyst/pseuds/Anthemyst
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Money, power, love-the Agrestes had it all. They should have had the perfect life. How exactly did everything go so wrong?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Every Parent's Worst Nightmare

The best day of Adele’s life was the day her son Adrien was born. No other day even came close. Not the day she’d gotten her Miraculous, not the day she’d married Gabriel, nothing compared to looking into her son’s eyes for the first time, to holding him in her arms and knowing she'd do anything to protect him.

The worst day was about a year and a half later.

Adele had dropped Adrien off at daycare a few hours earlier, and was in the middle of a counseling appointment with an anxious teenage girl headed off to university in a few months.

“… and of course I know nobody my age _really_ knows what they’re going to be doing for the rest of their lives, but it’s still hard not to feel… Mrs. Agreste? Mrs. Agreste, are you alright?” Adele had lurched forward in her seat suddenly, and grabbed the edge of her desk as though she might fall. She took a deep breath and sat up.

“I'm fine, sorry to startle you. Just… just a sudden headache.” She glanced at the clock on the wall; the appointment was only half over. “Nancy, do you mind if I reschedule? I hate to do that to you, but-”

“Oh, not at all Mrs. Agreste, that's totally fine. My mom gets migraines too, I know how it is.”

“Thank you, dear.” The student left, and Adele took another deep breath as Nooroo poked his head out of her purse. “What _is_ that?” Adele asked him. She’d been struck, very abruptly, by a wave of panic and terror, and in the minute since she’d felt it, it had only grown.

“I don't know,” Nooroo replied, “but we need to find out as soon as possible.”

Adele grabbed her cell phone and texted her husband: _mass panic somewhere in paris. investigating now. be ready._ Then she left, making vague excuses to the school secretary on her way out.

Semi-retirement had been treating Paris’ superhero duo fairly well; there hadn't been any real catastrophes since Adrien’s birth, but they’d helped with a couple of incidents. Paris no longer expected or relied on them, but it still appreciated the occasional aid. Adele and Gabriel knew that their services would probably only really be needed once a year, maybe less. Still, they’d made sure that they could be on the job at the drop of a hat if necessary, and Adele had specifically chosen this school to work at in part because of the very private side alley nearby, where she could transform and get to the rooftops without any fear of discovery.

Once on the roof, the source of the panic was instantly clear. To the west, a giant purple vortex had engulfed an entire building; it was several stories high now, and slowly growing taller. Butterfly jumped from rooftop to rooftop towards it, trying to get a better look at what exactly it was. The vortex was sucking up trash and debris, and while Butterfly couldn't see the surrounding crowd, she could feel its fear. Everyone was keeping their distance, anxiously looking on from the next block over, at… at…

Butterfly froze, still a few blocks away, suddenly recognizing which building was at the center of the vortex. With a trembling hand, she raised her cane and pressed a button.

“Adele?” Her husband's voice came through clearly. “Did you figure out what-”

“It's Adrien. Get over here now.” Before she'd even finished the sentence, Paon was standing next to her, looking at the vortex in horror.

“Is that-”

“The daycare.”

Paon grabbed his wife, and an instant later they were on the roof directly across the street from the vortex. From this close, the roaring of the wind drowned out almost all other sounds, and it was difficult to stand.

“I can't feel him!” Butterfly shouted, barely audible. “I can't feel anyone inside! Oh God, Gabriel, what if-”

“Focus, Adele! There’s no point in assuming the worst before we know anything.” Paon looked toward the vortex. “I'm going in. If I'm not back in thirty seconds, send a Champion after me.” He focused his gaze, and a moment later he was-

-flying backwards. He landed halfway across the roof on his back with a loud thud.

“Gabriel!” Butterfly ran to his side.

“I'm fine,” he said as she reached him, and weakly tried to smile. “That's a good sign, if that thing is blocking my powers then it's probably blocking yours, too.”

Butterfly exhaled. “That's true.”

“Regardless,” Paon said, getting up and walking back to the edge of the roof, “we need a Champion. Now.” Butterfly nodded, closed her eyes, and concentrated. It took longer than usual for a butterfly to reach her due to the wind, but soon one was cupped in her hands. Pouring every ounce of power she had into it, she released a moment later.

A few stories below, a large crowd had formed. Near the front was a young teacher’s aide named Renee. Renee worked in the afternoons, and she’d been running late today, so she was the only employee who hadn't been trapped inside when the vortex struck. There was some guilt, and a healthy amount of fear and dread, but the emotion at the front of her mind was a desperation to help.

“Renee.”

The voice sounded so different in her head than it did on TV but, like any Parisian, Renee would have known it anywhere.

“Renee, I am-”

“Yes,” Renee interrupted. “Yes, yes, I accept, give me whatever power you can and I'll save them, I'll save everyone.”

Butterfly glanced over at Paon. “Follow her.” Paon nodded and disappeared.

Far below her, Renee began to move through the crowd towards the vortex. At first, nobody paid any attention to her. Then she reached the front of the crowd and started to push past it, walking into the more violent winds. A few people tried to stop her, until they noticed her eyes, glowing yellow with power. As she got closer and closer to the vortex itself, it became obvious that the flying debris was somehow giving her a wide berth, and the raging winds did not hinder her progress. In fact, they didn’t even blow a single one of her hairs out of place. She was somehow completely immune to all its effects.

When Renee reached the edge of the swirling purple twister, she held up her right hand, palm out. A bolt of energy shot from it, blasting a hole in the vortex and revealing the school’s front door. Without hesitating, Renee walked through it.

Butterfly could see everything Renee could see and feel everything Renee could feel. As Renee entered the hallways of the daycare, both women shivered. The interior of building was eerily quiet despite the twister that surrounded it, and there was a strange purple smoke that completely covered the floor. Renee seemed to be immune to it, thanks to Butterfly, but it had knocked out everyone inside.

Through Renee, Butterfly could now feel the presence of everyone inside. As far as Butterfly could tell nobody was dead yet, but almost every signature was frighteningly weak, even for people who were unconscious. There was one exception-a strong presence, immensely satisfied and hopeful and delighting in the surrounding horrors. The emotional signature was coming from the other side of the building, from-where else?-Adrien’s classroom. Renee sprinted down the hallways, and burst into the room.

Standing in the center of the room was a man, middle-aged and perfectly average-looking except for his eyes, which were jet-black. He grinned as Renee entered.

“You’re earlier than I expected,” he said, “considering that you’re retired.”

Renee stopped in her tracks, confused. “I’m not-”

“I’m not talking to _you_ ,” the man said, annoyed. He pointed to Renee’s forehead. “I’m talking to the superhero sitting inside your mind.”

“Don’t let him distract you,” Butterfly said to Renee. “We need to figure out how to stop whatever he’s doing.”

“Right.” Renee widened her stance and held her palms up, ready to blast the man in front of her. “I don’t know what you want, but if you don’t stop this attack-”

“You don’t know what I want? I want power, obviously. The kind that only Butterfly can bestow.”

Renee scoffed. “Villains have tried that before, and she’s never given in.”

“True,” the man admitted, “But before today, nobody’s ever tried threatening her son.” He glanced to his left, towards where Adrien was lying on the floor, unconscious. Renee followed his gaze.

“But… but that’s…”

“He will die, along with everyone else in this building, and soon. Unless, of course, I get what I want.”

Renee was still staring at Adrien, putting the pieces together. “...Mrs. Agreste?” she whispered, confused.

Butterfly sighed. “Yes,” she said to Renee. Then she did something she almost never did-she directly manipulated the emotions of her Champion. She removed Renee’s confusion, her curiosity, and ramped up her focus on the task at hand. There simply wasn’t time to deal with an identity reveal. Now, in this state, Renee wouldn’t have cared if she found out Butterfly was her own mother.

Renee blinked a few times, and her expression cleared. Wordlessly, she looked back at the sorcerer and fired a white-hot blast of energy at him. He dodged it easily, and the blast shot through the room’s window, shattering it. He laughed, and waved his hand towards Renee, knocking her back. She crumpled to the floor. “Do you really want to waste the last few minutes of your son’s life fruitlessly trying to kill me?” he asked Butterfly. “Just do what I-”

Some invisible force slammed into him, knocking him clear across the room and into the wall. “Paon!” he said, almost laughing. “I was worried you wouldn’t make it.” He whispered something in a language Butterfly didn’t recognize, and suddenly Paon was visible. The sorcerer shot a bolt of lightning at Paon, but he teleported before it reached him. In the next instant, Paon was behind the sorcerer, his hand wrapped around the man’s throat.

“You have five seconds to undo everything you’ve done,” Paon said, his voice low and furious. “If you don’t, I’ll-” A burst of energy knocked Paon back, and the sorcerer whirled around, both hands up. Paon was frozen in place, unable to speak or teleport to safety. The sorcerer grinned again.

“You are no match for me,” he told Paon. From the other side of the room, through a still-fallen Renee, Butterfly could sense that his attention was completely occupied by Paon. “ _Now_ ,” she told Renee, pouring as much power as she could into the young woman. Without getting up, Renee fired another bolt of energy at the sorcerer, this time hitting him dead-on. He looked over at Renee, shocked, before the energy consumed him completely and he was gone.

Outside, the winds were quickly dying down. The vortex was gone. Inside, the smoke disappeared, and the children and teachers started coughing as they breathed in fresh air.

The last circle on Paon’s miraculous was blinking frantically; Paon shot one desperate look towards his son, making sure the boy was breathing, then sighed and teleported away. Butterfly’s powers were also about to leave her, now that her Champion had accomplished her goal of saving everyone. Right before losing her connection to Renee, Butterfly did something else she rarely did-she wiped Renee’s memory of being a Champion, and with it her knowledge of Butterfly’s true identity.

 

* * *

 

By the time Adele and Gabriel reached the daycare as civilians, ambulances had already taken most of the children, including Adrien, away. They drove to the hospital as quickly as they were able, but it was hours before the Agrestes could see their son, hours before he was officially out of the woods. Now they were in his hospital room, waiting for him to wake up. The doctor had told them Adrien would be fine at least five times now, but Adele still didn't believe it. Her baby was still unconscious and hooked up to various monitors. She’d been staring at him like that for so long now that the image was burned into her retinas, and she almost couldn't tell when her eyes were closed.

“You should try and get some sleep,” Gabriel said softly, around midnight. Adele didn't look up.

“Why me? You must be more tired than I am, you actually fought.”

“Well. We can take turns.”

“You first.”

Gabriel sighed. “Never mind.” He crossed to the other side of the room and sat next to his wife, taking her hand in his own.

“He knew,” Adele said softly. “He knew who we were. We weren't careful enough, somehow.”

“I know.”

“If one of those kids dies, it's on us.”

Gabriel sighed again. “I know.”

“And we don't know how he found out, or if he told anybody else. This could all happen again at any time, for all we know.”

“This won't happen again,” Gabriel said, squeezing his wife’s hand forcefully. “Whatever it takes, whatever we have to do, this won't happen again.” Adele leaned against him and fell silent.

About an hour of their vigil had passed when one of the other mothers poked her head into the room.

“Adele? Gabriel? How is Adrien?”

“He's going to be fine,” Adele said. “Katie?”

“Doing well. All the other kids are, too. Everyone made it.”

Adele and Gabriel both exhaled as some of the guilt that they’d been feeling finally eased, just a little. “Thank you for telling us, Therese,” Adele said.

“Some of the other parents and I, we’ve been talking about doing something in honor of Butterfly and Paon. I thought you might like to-”

“What?” Adele could barely think straight at this point, and the thought of being honored by the parents of all the children she’d put in mortal danger was too much. “Why?”

Katie’s mother looked like Adele had slapped her. “Because they _saved Katie’s life_ , Adele. And Adrien’s, too. That must mean _something_ to you.”

Adele snapped. “Did you ever think that maybe-”

“Adele,” Gabriel interrupted, putting a hand on her shoulder and stopping her from saying anything she shouldn't. He turned to Therese. “Of course, we’ll be happy to contribute in any way we can. It's just… it’s been a long day. Would you mind contacting us later?”

Therese’s face softened. “Of course,” she said, leaving the room. Adele looked at her husband.

“If we have to finance our own goddamn statue commemorating this nightmare I am going to break something,” she said flatly.

“Break whatever you want at home,” Gabriel replied, putting an arm around her. “Here, we are exactly like every other worried parent. Every other worried parent is very, very grateful to the anonymous superheroes who saved their children, and that's it.”

Adele let out a frustrated groan. “I know. I'm sorry.” Gabriel kissed the top of her head, and they went back to waiting in silence.

 

* * *

 

Chief Renault was working late about a week later when Butterfly entered her office, without warning, through the open window.

“I'm sorry,” Butterfly began, “I should have called first. I'll be brief.”

“Butterfly! What can I do for you?”

“Nothing, nothing, I just,” Butterfly was avoiding eye contact for some reason, and fiddling nervously with her cane, “just came to tell you that we, Paon and I, that is, we won't be able to attend any functions in our honor.”

“Oh. Is it a scheduling thing? Because if you just name the time-”

“No,” Butterfly interrupted. “We won't be making any more public appearances. And...and honestly, we’d prefer it if you skipped the plaque, too. Just give the money to the children’s hospital. You can still use our names for the event, but…” She trailed off. “Anyway, that was it.” She turned back towards the window.

“Wait!” the chief cried out, more urgently than she'd intended. Butterfly looked back at her. “I…” The chief had a suspicion, one she hadn't been planning on ever voicing, but some maternal impulse drove her now. “I remember. Why you two retired, that is. And I would never ever tell anyone,” she continued in a rush, noting Butterfly’s now worried expression. “No one else knows, I promise. But I remember. Was it a boy or a girl?”

“A boy,” Butterfly said softly. The chief nodded.

“I did the math, you see. Your son...he'd be about the same age as the kids in the classroom at the center of the attack, wouldn't he?”

Chief Renault didn't know what, exactly, she'd been expecting in response, but it certainly wasn't for Paris’ senior resident superhero to immediately burst into tears in the middle of her office. She stood up and rushed to the hero’s side, grabbing a box of tissues from her shelf on the way. “I’m sorry, I shouldn't have-”

“No, no,” Butterfly said, grabbing a tissue and blowing her nose. “I should have known I wouldn't get through this. I should have sent Paon, but he was even more anxious than I was about leaving-” she broke into tears again, and the chief led her to a small couch in the corner of the office. They sat there together for a few minutes, Butterfly trying to compose herself while the chief waited patiently.

“I would never send an officer to handle a case that involved their own child,” the chief finally said, after Butterfly had calmed down somewhat. “It's too much. If one of mine were in danger, I'd recuse myself immediately. But I suppose superheroes don't have that luxury.”

Butterfly laughed humorlessly. “No,” she agreed. “We don't.” She took a deep breath. “I can't handle an event. I don't think I could handle a five minute appearance. Every time someone sings our praises over this, I feel sick. Those children never would have been hospitalized, never been in any danger at all, if they hadn't been in the same school as our son.”

Impulsively, the chief pulled Butterfly into a tight hug. She’d been in awe of the hero for over seven years now, but right now she wasn't a police officer in the shadow of a superhero. She was just one mother comforting another.

“You can't blame yourself,” the chief said. It was cliche, but that didn't make it less true. “And don't feel guilty for taking care of yourself and your family right now, either. I can handle the public for you. And if there’s anything else I can do…”

“That’s more than enough,” Butterfly said gratefully. She grabbed another tissue. “Although… we know almost nothing about the attacker, or how he discovered our identities. If you find out anything, no matter how seemingly insignificant-”

“I'll contact you immediately,” the chief promised.

“Thank you.”

 

* * *

 

Gabriel looked up as his wife entered the nursery. Her eyes were red, but he didn't comment on it. “How did it go?” he asked.

“Fine. We don't need to worry about any more invitations to things, or interviews or anything. We’re out.”

“Thank God.”

Adele considered telling her husband that the chief had figured out part of their secret, but decided against it for now. It would only worry him, and he couldn't know what Adele knew for certain, that the chief would only protect them more fiercely as a result. She walked over to Adrien’s crib and looked down at her son. He had completely recovered, and was sleeping peacefully. In all likelihood, he wouldn’t remember the ordeal at all. There would be no permanent damage, either physically or emotionally.

His parents, of course, were a different story.


	2. Aftermath

Adele quit her job. Gabriel started working from home. They moved Adrien into their room at night. They'd both wake up in a panic sometimes and frantically check that he was still there. For months they were incapable of letting Adrien out of their sight for even a second, although their anxiety eased somewhat after installing the best home security system money could buy.

Eventually, Adele burned herself out on worry. By then it had been years, with no sign of any follow-up attempts made by anyone, and it was starting to seem like the villain really had been working alone after all, or at the very least his death had scared off anybody he might have talked to. At any rate, Adele’s thoughts finally turned from the single track they'd been on for so long, of keeping Adrien alive and safe. She started to worry more about what kind of life, exactly, all this paranoia was giving her son.

The nightmares didn't go away, though. As any parent who’s almost lost a child will tell you, the nightmares never really go away.

 

2005

 

“Hey Adele, how’s it going?” Jonathan asked, answering his phone.

“Fine,” Adele said hesitantly, “but-”

“It is _crazy_ over here. I don't know why all actors suddenly became completely incompetent the moment I decided to jump tracks to directing, but it is supremely annoying. It’s _Moliere_ , Adele, how challenging is Moliere?”

“I-”

“He’s old, sure, but it's still comedy. You think comedy only got accessible ten years ago?”

“I honestly could not care less, Jonathan, I actually called to talk about me for once.”

“Really?” Jonathan’s tone brightened. “Something’s actually going on with you?”

“Well… no. That’s the problem. It's starting to get to me, I think.”

Jonathan let out a low whistle. “Took you long enough,” he said wryly.

“Yes, well, something about watching your only child almost die dampens one’s appetite for adventure,” Adele replied defensively. She could practically hear her brother’s eyes rolling.

“That was three years ago, Adele. The excuse is wearing a bit thin.”

“I _know_ ,” Adele snapped. “That's why I'm calling. Are you free next Thursday night through Friday morning?”

“For what?”

“Babysitting?” There was a stunned pause.

“Of course, I'd be happy to,” Jonathan finally said. “How on earth did you get Gabriel to agree to that?”

“I haven't. Yet. I wanted to make sure you were available before bringing it up.”

 

* * *

 

“Absolutely not.”

“Gabriel-”

“An entire _night_ away? Why?”

“Well, for starters, it’s our anniversary.”

Gabriel looked at her. His expression didn't change, but Adele could tell he was a little hurt. “I know that,” he said. “Did you think I'd forgotten?”

“No, that's not what I-”

“I didn't forget _last_ year, did I?”

“No, but-”

“I hired the head chef from a five star restaurant. And that string quartet. You know they performed for the last presidential inauguration?”

“I remember, darling, but-”

“Anything you want, anything at all, I can make happen right here, you know that.”

“What I _want_ ,” Adele said, her voice rising, “is to get out of this house. We can sit at a bus stop in the rain for twelve hours for all I care.”

“Well, now you're just being petulant,” Gabriel said.

Adele took a deep breath. A part of her, a significant part, wanted nothing more that to just get in a huge fight with her husband, to vent out all of her pent-up frustrations. But the thing about holding the Butterfly Miraculous, if you were as suited for it as Adele was, was that you couldn't hear what someone was saying without also feeling what was behind it. Gabriel could be infuriatingly cold and condescending, but his words now were being driven by fear, fear of losing that which he loved more than anything in the world.

“Gabriel,” Adele said slowly, “listen to me. I understand why you’re scared. I’m scared, too. But this is not a healthy way to live our lives. Surely on some level you must realize that?”

Gabriel sighed. “What next, then?” he asked. “Nannies? Sleepovers? _School_?”

“No! I-well, not now, anyway. In the long term… don't you want those things for Adrien, too?”

“I want everything for Adrien,” Gabriel said, “but we have to be practical. We can’t just act like nothing happened, or… or something will happen again. And we might not be there to stop it next time. You want to let Adrien go to school, to a friend’s house, to the park, to all these places where he’ll be in the charge of adults who know _nothing_ , who can _do_ nothing.”

“We don’t have to decide everything for forever right away, Gabriel. For right now, all I want is for us to celebrate our anniversary not under this roof or I am going to lose my mind, do you understand? We can take this one day at a time, but it has to start getting better.”

“Who on earth could we trust to guard Adrien for an entire night?”

“I’ve already called my brother, he’s free.”

Gabriel raised an eyebrow skeptically “Jonathan? Is he really going to be able to-”

“Gabriel,” Adele interrupted firmly, “Jonathan has seen everything we’ve seen. He’s experienced, educated and resourceful when it comes to supernatural disasters. He’ll know right away if something’s wrong. And he does not. Need. Superpowers. To press. The panic button.”

“I suppose that’s true,” Gabriel said begrudgingly.

“We can be here in less than three minutes from anywhere in Paris.”

“Also true.” Gabriel took a deep breath and slowly let it out. “All right. We’ll try it.”

 

* * *

 

“Mama, Mama, Mama!” Adrien practically flew down the staircase and into Adele’s arms as she and Gabriel entered the foyer Friday morning, Gabriel trailing behind Adele with their overpacked suitcase.

“My darling!” She hugged her son tightly and picked him up. “Did you have fun with your uncle?” Adrien nodded emphatically.

“We stayed up until ten and ate ice cream for dinner!”

“Dude!” Jonathan was still coming down the stairs. “What was the point of rehearsing our story last night?” Adele raised an eyebrow at her brother, and Adrien laughed, delighted. Adele handed her son off to his father and walked over to Jonathan.

“Seriously,” she said in a low voice, “how was everything?”

Jonathan gave her a Look. “You mean aside from the aliens that showed up to eat Adrien’s brain?” he asked.

“Nnnnope. Nope, no, none of that, thank you. Gabriel just _barely_ agreed to this, so no smartassery from you. Everything went perfect last night, and that’s the beginning and end of it, got it?”

“Adele, if I’m _not_ a smartass he’ll _definitely_ think I’m hiding something. Use your head.”

“What are you two talking about?” Gabriel called to them.

“Just the aliens that attacked the mansion while you were gone,” Jonathan called back before Adele could stop him.

“Lovely. Carry on.” Gabriel started to head to the kitchen, Adrien still in his arms. “I suppose you haven’t eaten anything resembling a sensible breakfast this morning?” he asked his son as they turned a corner. Adele exhaled slowly. Her brother patted her shoulder.

“See?” he said. “You got Gabe out of the house for over twelve hours, and he didn’t have a panic attack or a breakdown or anything. He’s not as fragile as you think he is. You gotta push his buttons more. Isn’t that, like, your job?”

Adele frowned. “Is that what you think marriage is?”

“Well, yeah, basically.”

 

2007

 

“Good news,” Gabriel said to his wife, “I made Adrien a friend today.”

“You… _you_ made Adrien a friend.”

“Isn’t that what you wanted? Last week you said-”

“I was thinking he’d make his _own_ friends, dear,” Adele said.

Gabriel stared at his wife blankly. “Make them himself? Do you really think he’s old enough for that kind of responsibility?”

Adele sighed. “Out of curiosity, what exactly are the dangers associated with letting our six year old make his own friends?”

“He might wind up spending significant amounts of time in a home with a subpar security system, of course. But that won't happen with the mayor’s daughter. Her home’s security is… well, it's adequate. Compared to ours it's nothing, of course. I gave the mayor the name of the military contractor we hired, but he didn't seem particularly interested in upgrades. Still, it should be sufficient.”

“Lovely.”

 

2009

 

Adele poked her head into Gabriel’s office. “Darling?”

Gabriel looked up from his work. “Yes?”

“That homeschooling group is taking a field trip to the zoo on Wednesday, and I'm taking Adrien.”

Gabriel raised an eyebrow. “Is that necessary?” he asked.

“Extremely,” Adele said firmly. “Adrien’s about seventy-two hours away from snapping.”

“There's no need to be so dramatic,” Gabriel said calmly. “He seems fine to me.”

“Yes,” Adele agreed, her expression darkening. “Our son is very good at seeming fine. Far too good, in my opinion.”

“Ah.” Sighing, Gabriel pushed his work aside. “You're going with them?”

“Of course.”

“Well… that should be fine, then,” Gabriel said. “Although I don’t think the other parents in that group like us very much.”

“Oh, I know for a fact they don't,” Adele replied. “Why would they? We’re the rich, paranoid nutcases with a perfectly healthy child that we won't let out of the house for no discernible reason. But they like Adrien, and that's all that matters.”

 

2012

 

“Hi, Mom. Dad. Um.” Adele looked at their joint headstone, thinking about the past year. “Not much has happened,” she admitted. “Same as last time I visited. Adrien just turned twelve, which is a little surreal. Oh! We took a vacation to Greece last spring. Adrien really liked that, he hasn't travelled much. It was… I think it was a good step forward.”

“You came back three days early,” Jonathan muttered under his breath, standing slightly behind her. Adele looked over her shoulder to glare at him, then turned back.

“Okay, yes,” she admitted. “We did do that. But there was a nearby supernatural incident-”

“Nearby? It was in _Cairo_.” Adele shushed her brother.

“Anyway. Things are getting better. I think next year we’ll actually be sending Adrien to school-”

“Woah, really?”

“Jonathan, I swear to God, if you interrupt me one more time-”

“Sorry, sorry.”

Adele took a deep breath. “Look. I know this can't be what you two wanted for me. I know you must be disappointed in me. I… I remember, Mom, near the end, you said that the scariest thing about dying was knowing you wouldn't be around to protect your children anymore. And I didn't understand that fear at the time, not the way I do now. The thought of not being able to protect Adrien, it’s overwhelming sometimes. But I've let that fear rule my life for too long now. That ends now. I promise.”

On their way back from the site, Jonathan abruptly put an arm around his sister. “They wouldn't be disappointed in you,” he told her.

“You are,” she said.

“No, I'm not,” he insisted. “I'm just… sad and frustrated, that's all. Look, I'm not a parent, I'll probably never be one. The closest I've ever come is, well, having custody of you after Mom died. And I know that's not the same. I know I can't understand what you're going through.” Adele didn't respond. Jonathan glanced at her. “So… school, huh? Never thought I'd see the day.”

Adele smiled, just a little. “We've been talking about it for a long time. Adrien will be twelve next year, ready to start middle school with everyone else his age. It feels like a good time to transition.” She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I think… I really do think things are finally getting better for good. By this time next year, we might actually resemble a normal family again.”

 

* * *

 

Two weeks later, Adele got the call from the Guardian.


	3. The Fight

Adele entered the master bedroom, shutting the door carefully behind her. Her husband was still dressed, but relaxing on their bed, reading.

“Gabriel,” Adele said. “We need to talk.”

Gabriel looked up, saw the look on his wife’s face, and put his book aside. “What's wrong?” he asked.

“I just got a call from the Guardian. There's a serious problem. He’s just learned that there’s a man, he's been researching the quantic realm.”

Gabriel frowned. “Where Rajji and Nooroo are from?”

“Yes.” Adele started to bite one of her nails, then stopped herself. “Evidently,” she continued, “he's very close to tearing through the fabric of this reality to theirs.”

“Good Lord, what for?”

“He could enslave kwami directly, Gabriel. Multiple kwami, and he could empower his followers as well. He has his sights set on world domination, and if he succeeds he could do it easily.” Adele began pacing. “And that’s if we’re lucky, because apparently if he doesn't pull this ritual off _perfectly_ , or if he doesn't have the strength of will to sustain it, then both of our realities will just outright obliterate each other.”

Gabriel’s face had gone ashen. “What's the Guardian going to do about it?”

“He…” Adele stopped in her tracks suddenly, and looked at her husband. “Well, he called us, Gabriel. I think that's the extent of his ability to contribute here. He's e-mailing me all the necessary details-the location of the ritual, names of-”

“Wait. He expects _us_ to stop this?”

Adele raised an eyebrow. “Who else?”

“Anyone else? We’re retired-”

“Semi-retired, temporarily-”

“-and even if we weren't, we can't handle something like this.”

“Sure we can. I know the stakes are higher than we’re used to, but stopping it should be easy enough. We just fly to Tibet-”

“ _Tibet_?”

“-and you get me close enough to find a follower who’s having doubts. He's got almost fifty of them, at least one must be at least a little nervous about tearing reality apart. That's all I need to akumatize them and get them to sabotage the ritual. Heck, I could probably do it on my own, but with your abilities we’ll be in and out, sight unseen, before they know what hit ‘em.”

Gabriel stood up.“First of all,” he said, “I have never _ever_ heard you talk this casually about akumatization. I think I can count on one hand the number of times you've actually resorted to it.”

“Well, sure,” Adele admitted, “but this situation clearly calls for-”

“So you’ll forgive me,” Gabriel continued, “if I lack your total confidence in a technique you haven't executed in over twelve years, and even then only three or four times ever. Second… Adele, this is overconfident even for you. It's almost as though you're happy about it.”

Adele folded her arms. “I am not happy about the world’s imminent demise, that's ridiculous.”

“But you _are_ happy to have a reason to become Butterfly again.”

“Well… alright, maybe a little. So? I miss it, is that so wrong? Don't you miss it, too?”

“No, I do not.”

“Not at all?”

“No! I miss thinking that my family was safe, that I could protect them-but that feeling was an illusion.”

“We _can_ protect our family. And the world.”

Gabriel shook his head. “It’s one or the other. We learned that the hard way ten years ago, and we chose family.”

“I…” Adele was momentarily at a loss for words. “I didn’t think we were making that choice _forever_ , Gabriel. I thought… I thought we understood that if there was an hour of true need… and this is… we can’t just _ignore_ it, Gabriel, or we’re all going to _die_. That doesn’t concern you?”

“Tibet doesn’t have its own superheroes?”

“Honestly? I have no idea. There isn’t exactly a mailing list, Gabriel. In case you’ve forgotten, we all tend to operate fairly independently from one another. We’re the ones who learned about the problem, it’s related to the source of our powers, as far as I’m concerned that’s more than enough to make it our responsibility.”

“This is how it starts,” Gabriel said. “One crisis, one Just This Once. We’ll be sucked back in before you know it, Adele, and then we’ll be in the exact same place as we were right before Adrien almost died. It’s always _something_ with this life, we have to be the ones strong enough to reject it.”

“Gabriel. None of that matters right now. That is very much a problem we can deal with _after_ the apocalyptic threat has passed. The world needs us.”

“Our _son_ needs us.”

“Well, yes. Last time I checked, our son was part of the world. Of course,” Adele knew she was about to escalate this heated discussion into an all-out fight, but she didn't care, “that's only technically speaking.”

“Excellent, we’ve arrived at my favorite part of the argument: the part where it’s completely my fault that Adrien’s had such a sheltered upbringing. As though any force in the galaxy could make Adele Dumas Agreste do _anything_ she didn't want to.”

“No, you're right about that,” Adele conceded, “Adrien’s upbringing is exactly as much my doing as yours. It was completely a team effort. But that doesn't mean we were _right_.”

“The fact that he’s alive is what means we were right.”

“Oh, he hasn't been in any danger for ten years now. And the only reason he didn't die when he was a baby is because _we_ were there, as superheroes, to save him.”

“Us being superheroes is what almost got him killed, and you know it.” Gabriel fixed his wife with a firm stare. “I will not risk our family, risk orphaning our twelve year old son, just because you want to relive our youth. Adrien needs-”

“He doesn't need us hovering around him protecting him every second of the day any more. Soon he won't need us protecting him at all. Hell, before you know it he might be protecting everyone _else_ , if he gets-”

“Don't you _dare_ finish that sentence.” Gabriel’s face had gone completely white. “Adele, you’re not listening to reason. We retired, end of story. That life is _over_ for us. If the Guardian wanted to have superheroes he could call up in a time of emergency, he should have given out new Miraculouses years ago.”

“That is not _reason_ ,” Adele said, “it is a completely useless distraction from the point. Sure, maybe the Guardian should have done that-but he didn’t, so here we are. Talking about what someone should have done ten years ago is just avoiding the issue.”

“I do not avoid issues,” Gabriel said defensively. “If you were thinking rationally, you’d see-”

“Right, because everything I think is just emotional and everything you think is pure logic, is that it?” Adele interrupted, her anger growing. “Nothing affects Gabriel Agreste, he’s hyper-rational, he doesn't even _have_ any emotions that might influence him, right?”

“Well, you do have to admit that of the two of us I'm much more-”

“No, I don't. You suppress your emotions, Gabriel, but that doesn't mean you don't have them and it doesn't mean that they don't still influence your decisions. You might be able to hide them from everybody else in the world, even yourself, but you can't hide them from _me_. You're letting your fear rule you, the way it's ruled this family for ten years now. It's _got_ to stop.”

“Keep your voice down,” Gabriel snapped.

“Oh, what, are you worried Adrien’s going to hear? That he might notice something’s strange? Because he’ll definitely notice when the _world ends_ ,” Adele said, raising her voice even louder.

“It is impossible to talk to you when you're like this,” Gabriel replied.

Something inside Adele snapped. “Fine,” she said. “You don't have to talk to me, or deal with me at all.” She stormed over to her closet and grabbed a bag off a shelf. Then she started grabbing things off hangars and forcefully shoving them into the bag.

“What are you doing?”

“Leaving. When you're ready to apologize, you can come and find me at my brother’s.” She zipped her bag up, as aggressively as possible, and stormed out of the bedroom, slamming the door behind her.

 

* * *

 

“Do you really think Gabriel’s going to apologize?” Nooroo asked once they were in the car and Adele was driving away. Adele laughed humorlessly.

“Of course not,” she said. “I just said that to make sure he doesn't come looking for me for at least a few days. That should be long enough.”

“Long enough for what?” Nooroo flew out of Adele's purse and looked out the window. “Adele. Adele, this is not the way to Jonathan’s apartment.”

“No, it isn't,” she agreed.

“Where are we going?”

“Tibet, obviously.”

“What? Adele, we can't go without Paon.”

“Why not? I was a superhero without him for months before he showed up, and I've handled plenty of missions solo since.”

“This is bigger than anything you've done by yourself. It's bigger than anything you've done at all.”

“The stakes are higher, but the mission will be easy,” Adele insisted. “And when I come back, having single-handedly prevented the apocalypse, Gabriel will see that I'm _right_ and there's nothing to worry about. Maybe we can finally start having normal lives again. Well,” she amended, glancing at her kwami, “you know, normal for us.”

“But what if-”

“It's going to be _fine_ ,” Adele repeated, in a tone that suggested she wasn't open to further discussion. Nooroo sighed and flew over to sit on her dashboard.

“Maybe you should write a letter,” he said after about ten minutes of silence. “Just in case?”

“No.”

“But-”

“If I send Gabriel some kind of if-I-don't-make-it-back letter, it's going to completely undermine me when I return victorious. It'll defeat the entire point of going.” Nooroo gave her a look. “Other than for the whole saving the world point, but you know what I mean.”

“But-”

“Besides, if I don't succeed, they’ll probably be too busy dealing with the end of the world, navigating their new dystopic nightmare and all that. Assuming anything from this reality even survives at all.”

“Those are not the only two possible outcomes and you know it.”

Adele groaned. “Fine. I'll write Jonathan before the plane takes off. Happy?”

“Not even a little,” Nooroo said. “This is easily your worst idea ever.”

 

* * *

 

_Jonathan,_

_I'm on my way to Tibet to take care of some major, End of the World level stuff. By the time you read this, I'll either have failed or succeeded. If I've failed, you’ll be able to tell, because, well, it'll be the end of the world and all. Best case scenario, a crazy cult leader will have taken over the world with his magical super-army of followers. You'll definitely notice. If that’s the case, sorry I guess? Good luck dealing with all that. Join a resistance movement or something, maybe name a cool battle maneuver after me._

_If I've succeeded, and you've heard from me recently, then everything’s fine and you don't need to read the rest of this letter. But you will, obviously, and you’ll probably make fun of me for a week straight. I know this, and I've made peace with it._

_There’s a tiny chance that I succeed but I don't make it back. If the world’s basically the way it's always been but you haven't heard from me in a while, then that’s what happened, and it's why I'm writing. If I don't make it back, I need you to make sure that Gabriel and Adrien are okay. I love Gabriel, but I really don't think he’ll handle this very well, and if someone isn't around to keep his tendencies in check Adrien’s never going to have the normal life he deserves. Keep an eye on them both, would you? I know you will, because you’ve kept a pretty good eye on me all these years._

_I guess I should probably end with some sappy stuff about how much I love you and how much all your help and support over the years has meant, but honestly I'm pretty sure I've got this in the bag and I've probably already given you enough ammunition for teasing me as it is._

_Love,_

_Adele_


	4. Exit Paon

Gabriel looked up from his work as Jonathan barged into his office. They spoke simultaneously.

“Is Adele finally ready to stop sulking-”

“Where the hell is my sister?”

“-and come back-wait, what? She's… she's been staying with you, hasn't she?”

“I haven't seen Adele in almost three weeks,” Jonathan said angrily. “And then, this morning, I get some letter from her I don't understand half of, about Tibet and the end of the world, and looking after you and Adrien if she isn't back by now. So I am going to ask you this once: What the hell is going on?”

Gabriel went completely white. “She wouldn't,” he whispered, horrified.

“She wouldn't _what_?”

“I… there was a situation in Tibet. The Guardian wanted us to handle it, but I didn't think… so we fought, but I didn't think she'd…”

“You didn't think Adele would go off on her own to do something after you told her not to? Have you actually _met_ Adele?” Jonathan asked, furious. “I assumed you had, on account of being married to her for fourteen years, but apparently-”

“You're absolutely right.” Jonathan didn't think he'd ever heard Gabriel Agreste say those words before, and the shock of it knocked the anger clear out of him. “I should have realized-I have to go. It might not be too late to find her.” Gabriel stood. “Would you stay here, and watch Adrien while I'm gone?”

“Of… of course.” Gabriel nodded in thanks and headed for the door. As he passed Jonathan, Jonathan grabbed him and pulled him into a fierce hug. After a stunned moment, Gabriel hugged him back. “Bring her home,” Jonathan whispered.

“I will,” Gabriel promised.

 

* * *

 

When Gabriel returned from Tibet a week later, he drove straight from the airport to the city’s police headquarters.

“Can I help you?” the woman at the front desk asked.

“I need to speak with the chief of police. Immediately. Is she in?”

“I… yes, but I don’t think you can just… what is this concerning?”

“My wife is missing.”

“You can file a missing person’s report with one of the on-duty officers, if you’ll just wait a moment-”

“No. I need to speak with the chief. Privately. I’m not talking to any other officers.”

 

* * *

 

Chief Renault sighed as Gabriel Agreste entered her office, shutting the door firmly behind him. “Mr. Agreste,” she began patiently, “I understand that you’re a very important person in this city, and I understand that you love your wife very much-and when very important people are worried for those they love, they have a tendency to use their status a bit haphazardly. But there _is_ a protocol for these kinds of situations. You can’t just-”

“You understand nothing,” Gabriel interrupted. He said it almost apologetically, as though it were his fault. Startled, the chief fell silent. “I… I’m not sure where to begin,” Gabriel continued. “Well, perhaps I should start by saying that my wife told me once that you learned our secret, and that I’m very grateful you’ve kept it to yourself all these years.”

“Your wife… I think you must be mistaken. I don’t know any secrets about your wife. In fact, I don’t believe I’ve ever met her.”

“You have, actually. Several times. The last was about ten years ago, right after the attack on our son’s daycare. She said you were a great comfort to her. I’m grateful for that as well.”

“The attack on the daycare? But I never met with any of the parents of-” the chief stopped, mid-sentence, as everything clicked into place. “Oh,” she said. “ _Oh_.”

“Indeed.” Gabriel sighed. “I’ll tell you everything I know about what happened, but it is of the utmost importance that none of it be entered into any official record, or shared with the police department. Any investigation must be strictly off the books, and performed only by officers you trust completely.”

“There are one or two officers I can trust with this-at least, I’m as sure of them as I can be.”

“Well, if you have any doubts, Butterfly can always use her powers to-” Gabriel caught himself mid-sentence. “Oh,” he said quietly. “Oh. My goodness, how embarrassing.” The look on his face was almost perfectly composed, but the slightest traces of emotion broke through the facade-dazed, devastated, utterly lost. “I’m terribly sorry about that,” he said to the chief, and it was one of the saddest things she’d ever heard in her life.

 

* * *

 

Gabriel arrived home past midnight. The lights were off, and there was no sign of life, but as he walked through the first floor, a figure stirred on his couch. It seemed Jonathan had been waiting up, probably for every night that week if the bags under his eyes were any indication. He rubbed his eyes, looking at Gabriel, and Gabriel could see on his face the exact moment Jonathan realized that Gabriel had returned alone. “Where’s… where’s…” He couldn't seem to bring himself to finish the question. Sighing deeply, Gabriel headed for his office. Jonathan followed.

“There was no trace of her, or the cult,” Gabriel said, once they were safely inside and not in danger of being overheard by Adrien. “The Guardian followed the energy trail of her Miraculous to the exact spot where the ritual would have occurred, and it just _ended_.”

“Why? What would cause that?”

“Somehow, she must have been separated from her Miraculous. Wherever it is, it's dormant now. And wherever _she_ is… wherever Adele is, she doesn't have her powers anymore.”

“But you think she’s alive.”

Gabriel leaned against his desk and dropped his head in one hand. “I wish I had any idea, but I don't. I tried teleporting to her, and couldn't-I know that usually I can't transport to an unknown location, but with Adele it always worked before.”

“But she might be too far away-or maybe it didn't work because she's not a Miraculous holder anymore-it doesn't mean she's-”

“I just don't know. She definitely stopped the ritual, we’re sure of that much. There's no indication that anything went wrong there-but she's not back, and she was separated from her Miraculous, so she must have been discovered and captured.”

“And they took her Miraculous?”

Gabriel shrugged. “If they did, they haven't claimed it yet. The Guardian would be able to tell if someone new possessed it.”

“What if Adele rejected it on purpose, before they could take it, to keep it out of the wrong hands?”

“It's possible. It's hard to imagine they'd let her live if she managed to pull that off, but-”

“She's still alive,” Jonathan said with total certainty.

“Wanting something doesn't magically make it so.” Gabriel sagged further against the desk, exhausted. Jonathan looked at him.

“I can't believe you weren't there with her,” he said, before he could stop himself.

“Neither can I.” Gabriel’s tone was matter-of-fact, but Jonathan had known his friend for over twenty years and he could detect the self-loathing. Sighing, he walked over, put a hand on Gabriel’s shoulder, and squeezed it.

“So what now?” Jonathan asked.

“Well, I've gone to the chief of police and explained everything; she'll keep it all off official records, but have trusted officers looking into it.”

Jonathan looked at Gabriel like he was crazy. “The _police_? They're not going to be able to do anything and you know it. I meant what are _we_ going to do?”

Gabriel sighed. “The Guardian has some contacts all over the world-not many, but some. If any sign of this cult turns up, they’ll-”

“ _Gabriel_. What. Are. _We_. Going. To do?”

“If you have a suggestion, I would absolutely love to hear it, but at this point Jonathan this is it. This is all there is to do.”

“Here’s a suggestion: Let’s go to Tibet and _keep looking_.”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Because there is _nothing_ there to find. Wherever this cult is in the world, they are certainly no longer in Tibet. There is not the slightest trace of them.”

Jonathan thought about this in silence for a minute. “What about her Miraculous?” he asked. “That might still be there. Maybe Nooroo knows something that-”

“Her Miraculous? Finding that would be impossible. Look.” Gabriel grabbed his bag, rummaged around in it, and pulled out a map. He opened it on his desk and jabbed a finger at one spot. “ _This_ is where the ritual was supposed to occur, where Adele’s trail went cold. If she rejected her Miraculous intentionally to keep it out of the wrong hands, she would have tossed it in _this_ river. Look at this monstrosity. Finding an ordinary object tossed in there would be impossible anyway, but Miraculouses have a will of their own and they will actively resist being discovered by people who aren't suited for them. And neither you nor I are not suited to the Butterfly Miraculous.”

Jonathan picked the map up and studied it. “It's worth trying, Gabriel,” he said.

“No it isn't!” Gabriel cried out. He started pacing around the room. “It is not worth abandoning my son to go on a wild goose chase halfway around the world that has no hope of ever succeeding.”

Jonathan took a deep breath. “You're right,” he said. “I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking about Adrien. Obviously you have to stay here. But _I_ can go.”

“Please don't.” Gabriel looked at Jonathan, with an expression Jonathan had never seen on him before, not in twenty years: desperation. “Jonathan, please stay, please help me with… God, Jonathan, I don't think I can do this alone. I already lost Adele, I can't lose you, too.”

Jonathan was silent for a few moments. “You're asking me to give up on my sister,” he finally said.

“No. I'm asking you to honor her last request.”

“She's not dead, she doesn't get to make last requests.”

“Jonathan-”

“And even if she did,” Jonathan’s voice was starting to get a bit shaky, “even if she did, our mother’s takes precedence. I promised I’d look after her, Gabriel. That I’d take care of her, keep her safe.” His eyes lit up suddenly. “I’ve got it,” he said. “Gabriel, give me your Miraculous.”

“ _What_? Are you insane?”

“It’s perfect. You don’t want to use your powers, you want to stay here and keep your son safe, I get that. I want to go looking for Adele-but you’re right, an ordinary guy like me with no magic, I wouldn’t have a chance. This is the perfect fit. With Rajji, I could-”

“It’s a terrible idea,” Gabriel said. From his breast pocket, Rajji poked her head out and looked sadly at Jonathan.

“He’s right,” she said. She was uncharacteristically subdued, her eyes glittering with tears. She flew to Jonathan’s side. “Jonathan, the Miraculous holders are chosen very carefully for a reason, you know that. They can’t be held by just anyone, and you-”

“I won’t transform,” Jonathan interrupted, his voice pleading. “I promise, I swear it, I won’t _use_ the Miraculous, I’ll just have it so Rajji can help me track Nooroo. That would be alright, wouldn’t it?”

“Well…” Rajji frowned, thinking. “It… it’s dangerous. I’m certain the Guardian would forbid it if we asked. But maybe… maybe to save Adele, it would be worth the risk.”

“Thank you, thank you, thank you Rajji, you have no idea-”

“Absolutely not,” Gabriel said. Jonathan looked at him, shocked.

“Rajji said-”

“Rajji believes you can keep that promise, to not use the Miraculous, but we both know you can’t. Oh, you’ll probably make it a few months-and then there will be some crisis to get out of, or some obstacle to overcome, and you’ll think of how much _easier_ it would be if only you had the power this thing bestows. You’ll tell yourself it’s an exception, that you’re only using it once-Rajji will object, but you’ll ignore her. And then it will get easier and easier to use again, and you’ll be using it regularly before you know it. I can’t let that happen.”

Jonathan’s eyes flashed angrily. “Keeping me from having superpowers-not even from having them, just from having _access_ to them-is more important to you than saving Adele?”

“It wouldn’t save Adele.”

“You don’t _know_ that. It’s the best we’ve got, I have to try.”

“No!” Gabriel began pacing again. “Jonathan, don’t you understand, that’s the exact thinking that got Adele killed.”

“She is _not dead_ ,” Jonathan’s anger was growing noticeably, “so stop talking about her like she is.”

“We thought we could just dial it back a bit after Adrien was born,” Gabriel continued, seemingly unaware of Jonathan’s outburst, “and he almost died. So we stopped completely-and then Adele thought she could use it one more time, just for one crisis, one exception. And now she’s… she’s…” Gabriel looked down at the Miraculous clipped to his tie. “Don’t you see, Jonathan, it’s not that _you_ shouldn’t have one. Nobody should have these infernal things. They make us feel safe, they make us feel powerful, but in the end we’re helpless to the danger they create. If I give you mine, I’ll just be signing your death sentence. And if I keep it, eventually I'll use it too, and Adrien will be left without-” In one swift motion, Gabriel Agreste tore his Miraculous off. Jonathan jumped in surprise as Rajji suddenly vanished.

“Gabriel,” Jonathan said, slowly and carefully, “what did you just do?”

“What I have to,” Gabriel said, walking across the room to the safe on the wall, “to protect what's left of this family.” He pressed a few buttons, opened the safe, placed the Miraculous inside, and shut it. “Adele and I should have done this years ago, instead of trying to live our lives with one foot in and one foot out.”

“Gabriel. Please. Please, I am _begging_ you, don't do this.” Tears were beginning to fall from his eyes, but Jonathan didn't notice.

“I know it's hard now-”

“You were supposed to protect her! More than I ever was-she was more than your wife, she was your _partner_. And you failed, and now you're not even going to keep looking for her, and I am telling you that I will do it, I'll do _your_ job. All I am asking is that you throw me the one fucking lifeline that you have first!”

“In time you’ll see that this was for the best.”

“You coward. You utter, fucking coward. I don't understand how someone like you was ever deemed worthy of being a superhero.” Gabriel kept his composure, but Jonathan could tell the attack had hit home. Gabriel sighed.

“If insulting me makes you feel better-”

“And I don't understand how I ever thought you were good enough for Adele.” Jonathan folded up the map he was still holding and shoved it in his pocket, then opened the door of the office. “I'm leaving now. If I make it out the front door without your Miraculous, I will never forgive you for it.” He turned and started walking away.

“You’re _still_ leaving?” Gabriel asked, stunned. “After knowing it’s hopeless, after knowing Adele wanted you to stay here and help keep this family together?”

Jonathan kept walking, and Gabriel followed him into the foyer. Jonathan reached the front door and opened it. “Final chance, Agreste,” he said, not looking back.

“Stay,” Gabriel replied. “Please stay, please give up this-”

“Goodbye, Gabriel.” Jonathan said softly, exiting and shutting the door firmly behind himself.

Gabriel stared at the closed door for a while, his fists clenched.

Fine. It was fine. He didn't need Jonathan to help keep his son safe. Gabriel had been keeping Adrien safe for ten years now, and he would continue to do so for as long as he had to. Everything was going to be fine.


	5. Enter Hawkmoth

Near a small town in Bangladesh that lay on the great Brahmaputra River, rumors had begun to circulate. Anecdotes, really. Urban legends. Examined individually, they were almost mundane-an old man had lifted a car off his grandchild with the strength of a dozen men half his age, a young girl had held her breath under the surface of a lake for over ten minutes before resurfacing with her baby brother, both miraculously alive, a tornado had ripped up a path of destruction headed straight for a densely populated city, only to suddenly disappear once it reached the city’s limits. Everywhere in the world you could find stories like these. It was only when they were examined in aggregate that one might notice anything unusual; the stories were too frequent as of late, and within too small a radius. You’d have to be looking for such a pattern to notice it, though.

One man was looking for such a pattern.

In this town, there was a medical school attached to a teaching hospital. It was not particularly well-funded, but its students and doctors were some of the most dedicated in the world. When a prestigious physician from a major city visited to give a guest lecture, every seat was full, and everyone in attendance, student and doctor alike, was bent over, taking copious notes.

Halfway through this lecture, one head in the middle of the audience shot up suddenly and turned to look towards the back of the room. Dr. Malangi locked eyes with a skinny, scruffy-looking European near the exit and shivered, despite the heat in the packed room. The man studied her face for a good thirty seconds, then left the lecture hall. The young doctor slowly turned back around in her seat and tried to focus on the rest of the lecture.

Much later, Dr. Malangi was in her office reviewing a patient’s case file when there was a knock at her door. Without opening it, she could tell it was the man from earlier. She briefly considered simply locking the door and calling security, but there was almost no trace of the intense flash of rage she’d felt from him earlier. Mostly, he felt...hopeful. Nervous. Happy, almost.

“Come in,” the doctor called out in English. “Can I help you?”

“I think so,” the man said, entering her office and closing the door carefully behind him. He spoke carefully, with a heavy accent that the doctor couldn't quite place. “Indirectly, anyway. I need to talk to your…” he paused. “I don’t know the word in English.”

“Supervisor?”

“No, no,” the man said, impatient and frustrated. “Your…” He held his forefinger and thumb about three inches apart. “This big, purple, source of your magic powers?”

Dr. Malangi went very still. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said carefully.

“Oh, come _on_ ,” the man said, growing angry. “Someone is clearly making Champions around here. I’ve been all over this goddamn town for over a month now, and you’re the first person to actually react to a burst of emotion. It has to be you.” He looked her up and down, and pointed to the small gold brooch pinned to her hijab. “That’s it, isn’t it?”

Dr. Malangi reached for her phone. “You’d better leave, before I call-”

“ _Jonathan_?” Both heads turned towards the doctor’s bag as a small purple figure flew out of it. He turned to the doctor. “It’s alright Rokeya, this is the brother of the woman I told you about, my last master.” Nooroo turned back towards Jonathan. “I barely recognize you,” he said. This was an understatement. Not only was Jonathan physically transformed-underweight, older, unkempt-but emotionally, he bore almost no resemblance to the man Nooroo had known in Paris. There was fire and steel at the heart of him now.

Jonathan visibly sagged in relief upon seeing Nooroo. “I knew it,” he whispered. “Everyone else gave up, but I knew I’d find you eventually.”

“What are you doing here, Jonathan?”

“Looking for Adele. Obviously. Except she was impossible to track, so I started tracking you instead. Which, actually, was also pretty close to impossible; I knew she must’ve thrown the brooch into that river, but man, of all the rivers to pick. Do you have any idea how many international borders it crosses? I’ve lost count of how many officials I’ve had to bribe over the years, and even that didn’t keep me out of jail completely. But none of that matters now that I’ve found you, and you can tell me what happened to her.”

“Jonathan…” Nooroo hesitated. “I’m not sure I can tell you anything you don’t already know. I have no way of knowing what became of her after she rejected the Miraculous and I went dormant.”

“You must have some idea of what was about to happen to her,” Jonathan said desperately.

“I...I can tell you that the man who captured her had little interest in killing her,” Nooroo said. “But that was when he thought he could get my Miraculous from her. He didn’t seem the type to anger quickly, but it would have been the second time that _day_ Adele thwarted his plans for world conquest. If you haven’t had any word of her since…”

Jonathan bit his lip and stared at a random spot on the wall, thinking. Both Rokeya and Nooroo could feel his frustration growing dangerously high, and they exchanged a nervous glance as he continued. “Then...then I’m taking you back to Paris. We’ll figure out a way to find her. Together. There must be some magic thing we can do.”

“I...suppose if you take me back to the Guardian, he might be able to-”

“ _No_ ,” Jonathan said. That rage that Rokeya had felt earlier was back; this must be the source of it, she thought. “No, look, you don’t understand. Everyone else has given up on her. The Guardian, Gabriel...it’s just us, Nooroo. We have to rescue her ourselves. If I give you back to the Guardian, he’ll just lock you up with the other Miraculouses. But you and me, together, we can do it. Just tell the doctor to hand over the Miraculous.” Jonathan looked at her directly now. “I’m sorry,” he said, “but I need it to save her, do you understand?”

“You can’t have it,” Nooroo said before Rokeya could respond.

“Why not?”

“It isn't safe, you’re not suited-” Jonathan slammed his fist against the wall, cutting Nooroo off.

“For almost twenty years now,” Jonathan said slowly, “I’ve had to live with not being _suited_. With not being _worthy_. There was never any concrete failing, was there? Just some ineffable quality that only your precious Guardian could detect. Something about me that meant I wasn’t as good as the chosen ones. And yet, when one of their own goes missing, where are the others? They looked for her for a _week_ , Nooroo. With their magic and their superpowers and their _suitability_ , they did _nothing_. And here I am, three years later, and I still haven’t given up on her. I didn’t have magic, I didn’t have a Miraculous, I had nothing and I did the impossible. I found you. So why am I the one who isn’t worthy?”

“It’s not that simple, Jonathan-”

“I think it is,” Jonathan interrupted. “I think at the end of the day, the only thing that separates me from a _worthy_ Miraculous holder is that I’m actually willing to do what needs to be done. I will do whatever it takes to save her, Nooroo, so one way or another I am leaving this office with that Miraculous and we are getting her back.”

“It might be too late,” Nooroo said softly. Jonathan shook his head.

“No. No, after everything I’ve seen, I refuse to believe there’s _anything_ that can’t be done. Even if she’s...well. Even then, there must be some way to bring her back.”

“Not without a price that far outweighs-”

“Nothing outweighs Adele.”

“Adele didn’t believe that, and you know it. Jonathan, I understand why it’s harder for your kind to accept death-”

This was the wrong thing to say; both Nooroo and Rokeya felt it immediately, and Rokeya shrank back in her chair a bit as Jonathan looked at her, then back at Nooroo.

“You’ve accepted a lot of death, then? Well, you’re over five thousand years old, I suppose that makes sense. I suppose you’ve seen a lot of your masters die.” His anger was so strong now that Dr. Malangi had the strange sense she could physically touch it if she'd wanted to. It was white-hot and solid and it was consuming everything else inside of him. “Somehow, though, I suspect it's not as easy for you as you claim.” Jonathan reached into the bag slung over his shoulder, and before Dr. Malangi realized what was happening he’d pulled out a gun and pointed it right at her. “So, if you don’t want to see it happen again,” he continued, “you’ll convince this one to hand that brooch over.”

Nooroo stared at Jonathan, stunned. “You wouldn’t,” he finally said.

“You don’t know me as well as you used to.”

“I know you well enough,” Nooroo said. “You might threaten just about anything, but there are lines you won’t cross.”

Jonathan sighed and turned his attention to the doctor. “What do you think?” he asked her, still pointing the gun at her face. “You can read me yourself. You don't have to take his word for it. Look at me and tell me if you think there’s _anything_ I wouldn't do at this point.”

Rokeya was having a difficult time tearing her eyes away from the gun, but she forced herself to focus on this man, to read him as best as she was able in her untransformed state.

She honestly couldn't tell what he was capable of. He didn't seem to really know or care himself. But he'd clearly come too far to calmly leave now; if he didn't get what he wanted, soon, someone’s blood would be shed. Rokeya sighed and looked at Nooroo.

“I will miss you,” she said simply. Nooroo shook his head.

“Wait, Rokeya, don't-” Before he could finish, the brooch was off and he was gone. Rokeya laid the pin, now a purple butterfly, on her desk. Jonathan grabbed it, and there was a quick burst of light. Nooroo was back. It had been over a century since he’d switched from one holder to the next so rapidly, and it was disorienting. Of course, it had been much longer since he’d had a master unsuited to him, and that was a far worse feeling. Nooroo was bound now, entirely, to Jonathan’s will. The bond almost had a taste to it, unsettlingly sweet, like rotten fruit.

Meanwhile, Jonathan was staring at the Miraculous, now his, as though he couldn't quite believe it was real. In his hands, it was a purple oval locket. The Miraculouses camouflaged themselves based on their holders; Jonathan opened it, but Nooroo knew without looking that there would be a picture of Adele inside.

“Get in, Nooroo, we’re leaving,” Jonathan said as he snapped the Miraculous shut and opened his bag, dropping the gun inside. Nooroo took one last sorrowful look at Rokeya and did as he was told. Jonathan pinned the locket to his worn jacket.

“You have what you came for, now get out of my office,” Dr. Malangi said, a touch of venom in her tone. Jonathan looked up at her as though he'd forgotten she was there.

“You only would have ended up like her if you’d kept this, you know,” he told her.

“I suppose I should be thanking you, then,” the doctor said, crossing her arms and glaring up at Jonathan. “Just like this sister of yours will thank you when she learns of all you have done in her name.”

This startled him. Something deep inside him surfaced-for a moment, Rokeya was sure she caught a glimpse of the man he used to be, whoever that was. Then it was gone again. Without another word, he left. Rokeya exhaled slowly. She was alive. She tried to focus on that, but it was hard to feel grateful when she felt so… empty. She'd only found the Miraculous five months ago, but she felt incomplete without it now. She wondered if that feeling would ever in her life go away; she suspected it would not.

Meanwhile, Jonathan was heading for the exit as quickly as he could without raising any eyebrows. His mind was going a million kilometers a minute. He still couldn't believe he’d actually succeeded. True, he hadn't actually gotten any new information out of his discovery beyond confirming things he'd already suspected. That might have been devastating to a less determined man, but Jonathan was resolved that his discovery of the Butterfly Miraculous would not be for nothing. Somehow, he would figure out a way to use it to save Adele, to bring her back.

“Hang on, Adele,” Jonathan whispered. His fingers wrapped around the Miraculous pinned to his chest. “It won't be much longer now. Things are finally turning around for us, I promise.”


End file.
